Something Worth Fighting For
by sydni
Summary: People often say they live with some regret, and I am no exception to that. What I regret most in my life is taking the wrong paths; all of which led me on a boundless journey. The one thing I'll always cherish about that journey? It always gave me hope.
1. Hogwarts and Diagon Alley

Looking back on my life now, I never would have thought that I'd be where I am today. Yes, there were parts that I knew were always possibilities, but they didn't happen exactly as I thought they would, or planned them to.

My name is Callidora Hopkins, and I'm a witch; the cast spells, broom-flying, potion-making kind…although I have been told that I have somewhat of a temper. I'm also a metamorphmagus, meaning I can change my appearance at will which is a rare trait among witches and wizards.

I grew up around magic, and my parents, Nicolas and Violetta Hopkins, discovered that I had powers when I accidentally set this ugly sweater that my Aunt Miranda had bought me for Christmas on fire. I was six and wished I could burn it in the fireplace. My parents were proud, although they didn't like explaining to Aunt Miranda about how I couldn't wear the sweater since it "caught fire."

I'm a pureblood witch since both of my parents were wizards, but I don't like to brag about my ancestry like some families do.

When I turned eleven I received my letter to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry like my parents and most wizards my age.

As I grew up and went through school, I had experiences, both good and bad, that I will never forget. I share my life with you not for sympathy, but in the hopes that you will understand the difficulties that come with growing up in my world, and that there's always something worth fighting for.

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Chapter 1

"Happy birthday Callidora!" my parents yelled in unison. It was a very special birthday for me because mum and dad say that this year I'll get my letter to Hogwarts. They were so sure I was going to get in because they told me I showed signs of being a witch when I was younger. I was still worried though; what if I didn't get in? What if I turned out to be a squib?

Dad handed me a really big present. It was so big, that he had to set it on the table in order for me to open it.

"Go on and open it," dad said all excited. I tore the paper open, and there on the table was a brand new broom. "We thought you'd need your very own broom. You can't keep using your mother's old one when you go off to school."

"Nicolas," mum said. "You know first years aren't allowed brooms."

"They are if they play Quidditch," dad argued. "So how about it Dora? Want to test it out?"

"Yes!" I squealed. Dad picked up my new broom off of the table and we both ran out into the backyard.

"Be careful you two!" mum yelled after us.

"We will!" dad and replied.

When we got outside I was so excited to fly on it that I was jumping up and down and making dad laugh.

"What kind is it?" I asked.

"The best one on the market at the moment," he answered.

"Comet 260," we both said. Dad handed me the broom and I nearly exploded from excitement.

"Dora, you have to be more careful on this broom," he said. "It's much faster than your mother's."

"Okay. Can I please fly it now?" I whined. Dad laughed.

"Alright," he said. "But only where I can see you." I pouted but got on the broom and took off.

I flew around for a bit before dad got out his broom and our practice Quaffle; dad always thought I'd play Quidditch at School.

I don't know how long we were out there playing before mum called us in for supper.

"If you keep playing like that Dora, you'll be an excellent chaser," dad said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Absolutely."

"Alright, no more talk about Quidditch at the table," mum said. "Go on and eat your supper before it gets cold; I made your favorite."

"Yum," I said.

"We were about halfway through supper when our tawny owl with bright blue eyes flew in through the open window carrying our mail. Dad got up from the table and walked over to the owl to get it.

"Thank you Skye," he said. Mum and dad let me name our owl so I came up with Skye from her really bright blue eyes; like the sky. "Looks like you're quite popular today, Dora; all the mail is for you."

"A bit late to be getting it," mum said. "I'm guessing it has to do with specifics."

"I wonder why," I said. Dad handed me the mail and most of it was birthday cards from relatives. I opened them all up until I reached the last one.

It was thick and heavy, with emerald-green ink written on the yellowish parchment. On the back was a purple wax seal of a coat of arms with a lion, eagle, badger, and snake surrounding an 'H.'

I looked over at mum and dad to see then smiling at the letter in my hand.

I tore it open at the seal and pulled it out. It read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(_Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc. Chf. Warlock,_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_

Dear Ms. Hopkins,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find an enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

I was so excited that I was bouncing in my seat.

"Looks like we'll be taking a trip to Diagon Alley soon," mum said.

"Yay, yay, yay, yay," I said as I continued to bounce in my seat. I had only been there once before, and that was when we bought Skye. I loved it there.

"Calm down Dora," dad said as he laughed. "You'll explode if you keep doing that." I stopped right away and stuck my tongue out at him.

"And after that," he said while picking me up. "It's time for bed."

"But-" I said.

"No buts, Dora," mum interrupted. "You had a big day today and it's late, so go on up to bed.

"Fine," I said and went right upstairs to my room after dad put me down.

We had to wait until summer to go to Diagon Alley since my birthday was in April. My parents didn't want to keep my school things lying around the house for so long. So on the morning of our trip, I was so excited that when I got up, mum and dad weren't even up yet.

I snuck into their room, climbed up onto the bed, and started jumping up and down.

"Wake…up," I said between bounces. "I…want…to go…already." Mum and dad laughed and sat up.

"How about this," mum said. "You go and get dressed, and we'll meet you downstairs for breakfast."

"Okay!" I said. I went to jump off of the bed, but my foot got stuck in the blanket and I fell face first onto the floor. "I'm okay," I said after getting up. Then I ran back to my room.

"Be careful!" mum yelled after me.

I quickly got changed and rushed downstairs to see mum and dad already in the kitchen.

"Not fair," I mumbled. No matter how early I got up, they were always in the kitchen before me. Dad laughed.

After breakfast, we took the fireplace to Diagon Alley, meaning we used floo powder to get there. We ended up inside Gringotts which is exactly where we needed to go.

Once we got money from our vault, we left Gringotts and headed out, onto the street.

"Do you have your list, Dora?" dad asked.

"Yup," I answered while pulling it out of my pocket.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes (black)

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_

by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot

_Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling

_A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_

by Phyllida Spore

_Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_

by Newt Scamander

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_

by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"We should get your robes first," mum said. "Then we'll get your books and-"

"Come on!" I yelled grabbing hers and dad's hands and pulling them along.

I pulled them all the way to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

When we walked through the door, it was Madam Malkin, who was a squat smiling witch.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she asked. I nodded with a smile on my face. "Come on back then."

I followed her to the back of the shop where she had me stand on a stool, and she slipped a robe over my head and started pinning it up.

When she was done pinning my robes, I thanked her and we went to Flourish and Blotts.

We all split up to search for my books, but I got distracted when I got into an aisle filled with books on jokes and pranks. I laughed at every one of the pranks I read.

"That one's pretty funny when you actually see it," dad said. Oops. Busted.

I turned around and saw dad there holding two of my new schoolbooks.

"Just slip it into the pile," he said. "Your mother won't notice." He smiled and lifted up the book on top and I slipped it in between the two books. Then he looked away, like he was pretending he didn't see it.

Dad told me that he was into pranks and jokes when he went to Hogwarts and apparently I inherited that from him.

After buying my schoolbooks, mum decided to get my cauldron and go to the Apothecary while dad and I went to get my owl.

We went to Eyelop's Owl Emporium which was filled with every different type of owl, that all had bright, colorful eyes.

I walked around for a bit before I stopped in front of two owls; a snowy owl, and a black owl. The snowy owl had really pretty blue-green eyes, while the black owl had bright purple ones.

"Did you find one you like yet Dora?" dad asked as he came up to me.

"I can't decide," I said. "I like them both."

"Then I guess we'll just have to get both," he said.

"Really?" Dad nodded and we ended up leaving with the two owls.

That's always the one thing I liked about being an only child. I wasn't spoiled, but my parents were able to give me things and do things with me that they couldn't do if I had a sibling. Sometimes I wished I had a younger brother or sister to play with; I didn't know anyone my age.

Dad and I met up with mum right outside of Ollivanders wand shop where a sign outside said: Ollivander: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

When mum saw the two owls she gave dad a look and rolled her eyes.

"Have you come up with names for them yet?" dad asked. The whole walk over here was filled with me thinking about names for my owls.

"Yes. I'll call her Athena," I said referring to the snowy owl. "And her Nyx."

"I'm sensing a certain theme here," mum said. Mum used to be really into mythology, and for some reason, those two names stuck with me.

I just shrugged and we walked into the wand shop.

A little bell rang when we walked into the shop. It looked sort of like a library with the piles of narrow boxes that reached the ceiling.

"Good afternoon," an old man with wide, pale eyes said as he walked towards us. "I was wondering when I'd be seeing you two again." I was confused. "If I'm not mistaken, you two came in at almost the same time to buy your wands."

"I'm surprised you remembered us, Mr. Ollivander," mum said.

"Ah, but what did I say to you when you first came in here Violetta?" he asked. "I remember every wand I've ever sold." Mum smiled. Then Mr. Ollivander noticed me standing between mum and dad. "And now you're here for your daughter?"

"Yes," dad answered. "We were so proud when Callidora got her letter. We knew she would get one of course; she was gifted since birth."

"Dad," I said embarrassed. My hair turned pink and I felt myself blush.

"Very gifted indeed," Mr. Ollivander said. "Well Ms. Hopkins, which is your wand arm?" I held out my right arm while he pulled out a tape measure with silver markings on it out of his pocket.

As he measured me with it, he explained all the different types of wands, and that another wizard's wand isn't as good as our own.

"Try this one," he said while handing me a wand after he finished measuring me. "Willow and unicorn hair. Eight inches. Just give it a wave."

I took the wand and waved it once before Mr. Ollivander took it out of my hand and gave me another one.

"Mahogany and dragon heartstring. Eleven inches." I waved it and again, Mr. Ollivander took it from me.

He then pulled out a third wand and handed it to me. I know I only tried two others, but I was starting to doubt that I would find one.

"Rosewood and phoenix feather. Ten and a half inches." I slowly took the wand from his hand with a doubtful expression on my face.

As soon as I touched the wand, it felt warm, like it was heating up my fingers. I looked at mum and dad who both had smiles on their faces, before waving the wand. Very bright and colorful ribbons shot out of the end of the wand like confetti, and my parents clapped happily.

"Oh very good. Bravo," Mr. Ollivander said. I smiled widely as Mr. Ollivander took the wand back and put it into its box. Then he wrapped it in brown paper and handed it back to me. "I can see many wonderful things coming from you, Ms. Hopkins. Many things."

Mum and dad paid for my wand and we said good bye to Mr. Ollivander before going back out onto the street.

We stopped at Florean Fortescue's for some ice cream, and then we went home, where I'd wait to finally start at Hogwarts.


	2. Platform Nine and ThreeQuarters & Twins

**So I'm totally updating this really late and all and I'm sorry for that. I didn't get many reviews for the first chapter so if you're reading my story at least leave me a little itty bitty review.**

**So here's the disclaimre I totally forgot to put up last chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and Fred and/or George Weasley although I'd very much like them for my birthday (in a box) so I can take them with me. I DO however own Callidora Hopkins and her awesomeness.**

**On with the story!**

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Chapter 2: Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and Twins

Time flew so quickly, and before I knew it, we were heading to King's Cross Station so I could board the train to Hogwarts. I woke up really early because I couldn't wait any longer.

We got there around half past ten. Dad put my trunk onto a cart and then put Nyx and Athena on top of it. Then he wheeled it into the station.

Dad stopped in front of Platform nine and Platform ten and looked around.

"Has it always been this packed with muggles?" he asked.

"Unfortunately," mum replied.

"Alright Vi, you first," dad said. Mum looked around quickly before walking straight through the barrier. "You next Dora. Just walk straight through; I'll meet you on the other side."

I looked at dad, who smiled encouragingly, before going straight through the wall.

On the other side was Platform nine and three-quarters. A scarlet steam engine was next to the platform with a sign over it reading 'Hogwarts Express.'

I found mum talking to a familiar looking plump woman with red hair, who was standing next to three boys and a small girl, that all had flaming red hair. The girl looked about eight.

I walked over and immediately got mum's attention.

"There you are!" she said. "Where's your father?" I looked around for a second to see if I could find him, but turned back to mum and shrugged. "He'll find us eventually. Anyway, this is Mrs. Weasley, do you remember her?" The red hair seemed familiar somehow, but I couldn't put a face to it.

"Vi, you can't expect her to remember me; I haven't seen her in eight years," Mrs. Weasley said.

"I suppose you're right," mum replied.

"Dora," Mrs. Weasley said getting my attention. She actually knew I preferred that nickname. "This is Charlie." She then pointed to the oldest boy. "Percy." Then the next. "Ron." Ron was about nine. "And Ginny." Ginny was the small girl. She looked like she just couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts. "The twins are around here somewhere; it's their first year, too." Then she looked around, and just then, two more boys came over to us.

They were identical in every way, but if you looked closely, you could see that one was just slightly taller than the other.

"There you two are!" Mrs. Weasley said finally noticing them. Then she turned to me and said, "This is Fred and George."

"Oi mum! I'm George, that's Fred," said the slightly taller one. When he said that, I saw that he had that same mischievous glint in his eyes that dad said I had. It's how he always knew I was up to something; but really, how he knew I had done something.

"You're lying," I said after Mrs. Weasley apologized for the mix-up and continued her conversation with mum. The two looked surprised at how I flat-out knew they were lying.

"How did you know?" the real George asked.

"Not telling," I answered. Then I spotted dad who was pointing at his watch and motioning for me to come over to him. "Mum, dad says it's time to go."

"Huh? Oh, alright then," she said. "It was nice seeing you again Molly."

"You too, Vi," she said. "Come by any time." Then we walked towards dad after I said goodbye to Mrs. Weasley, and leaving the twins with just a quick wink.

After saying goodbye to mum and dad, and a warning of the "consequences of shifting my appearance too much," I boarded the train with my trunk and owls, and walked to the closest empty compartment.

I sat Nyx's and Athena's cages on the seat and attempted to put my trunk on the overhead rack, but it was just barely out of my reach.

"Do you need any help?"

I turned around and noticed a boy about my age with brown hair and gray eyes. He looked like he normally wouldn't speak much.

"Um, yeah sure," I said. I quickly pulled out my prank book, and placed it on the seat next to Athena's cage.

The boy came into the compartment and helped me lift my trunk onto the rack.

"Thanks," I said.

"No problem," he replied. I was just about to ask him if he wanted to sit in the compartment with me, but before I could he said, "I'll see you at school then," and walked out.

"Bye," I said after he left. '_I guess I'm destined for a lonely life,'_ I thought.

I sat down in between Nyx and Athena and opened my book to read.

I was halfway through a prank about having toilets yell insults at you when I heard them.

"Well look who we've got here," one said.

"And she's reading, too," the other said.

"So she must be-"

"Obviously-"

"What!" I said annoyed. I looked up to see them smiling in that 'it's fun to annoy you' sort of way.

"A nerd," they finished together. It was sort of true, except for the fact that I only ever read prank and joke books. Mum and dad always said I was very smart for my age though.

"There's one problem with your theory," I answered. "The book I'm reading isn't something a teacher would be proud of." Then I went back to reading.

"No way-" one said

"Can't be-" the other said.

"Has to be-"

"Obviously," I finished for them. I looked up at them to see shocked looks on their faces. "Oh, I interrupted your twin bonding, didn't I?"

"I think that settles it George," Fred said.

"Right you are Fred," George replied. Then both of them walked into the compartment and sat across from me.

"Alright then," I said completely confused. I closed my book and set it down next to Nyx who looked at it quickly before looking at me with a mischievous glint in her bright purple eyes. Out of my two owls, Nyx was a bit of a trouble maker, which always made me laugh; she really does represent her name well. Athena is the total opposite of Nyx; they are both very smart, but Athena hates mischief and is more intelligent than any owl I've ever met. She knows things that most owls and other animals don't, and has a very human nature; like right now for instance.

"Did your owl-"

"Just roll her eyes? Yes," I finished. I opened her cage and she immediately went up on my shoulder and gave Nyx the 'I'm superior' look. "This is Athena," I said while she rubbed her head against my outstretched hand. "And this evil creature over here is Nyx."

"Evil? How can an owl be evil?" I think it was Fred that asked.

"She likes picking fights with Athena," I answered. "She finds it hilarious." Athena went back into her cage and refused to look at or in Nyx's direction.

"A pranking owl," George said. "I like her already." If Nyx could smile she would have been; she loves compliments.

"I'm finding things a bit unfair here," said Fred. I finally figured out who was who.

"How so?" I asked.

"Well you know us-" he said.

"But we don't know you," George finished.

"Sorry," I said with a slight blush forming on my cheeks. "Callidora Hopkins; but everybody calls me Dora."

"What do you think Fred?" George asked.

"I'm thinking the same thing you are George," Fred answered. _'Aren't they always?'_ I thought.

"Which is?" I asked.

"You don't look like a 'Dora,'" they replied in unison. I shrugged. I never really had a preference for what people called me, although I favored 'Dora' over my full name.

"We'll come up with something," Fred added.

"Okay," I replied. I wasn't sure what they were going to come up with, but what I did know was that I wouldn't be alone at school like I thought I would be.

"So," Fred said after a moment. "What got you interested in joining the dark side?"

"Well they told me there would be cookies, but they lied. So now I'm stuck," I answered with a straight face. They just stared at me with a 'she's a nutter' look on their faces before the smile I had been forcing back crept in, causing all of us to laugh.

"My dad said I was destined to be an evil genius," I said after we stopped laughing. "He pulled his fair share of pranks when he was at Hogwarts, and I was born on April Fool's Day."

"Its fate-" Fred started.

"At it's finest," George finished. I was lost again. "We were born on April Fool's Day, too."

"Wicked," I said.

The rest of the train ride was filled with future prank ideas. So, by the time we were changed into our robes, and heading to the boats that would take us across the lake to Hogwarts, we had a huge list of things to do.

"So Id, where do you reckon you'll be sorted?" Fred asked.

"Id?" I replied confused. I thought about it before saying, "Like the devil on your shoulder." The twins grinned at me.

"I'll probably end up in Gryffindor," I sad. "Although my mum thinks I'll be in Ravenclaw."

"Better Ravenclaw than Slytherin," Fred said.

"Or worse," George said. "You could be in Hufflepuff." We all laughed at that joke.

"What about you?" I asked.

"Gryffindor," they replied.

"All our family has been," Fred continued.

We talked more and before we knew it, we were being led into the Great Hall by Professor McGonagall to be sorted.

She placed a stool in front of all of us and then put a patched and frayed wizard's hat on top of it.

_'The Sorting Hat,'_ I thought. Mum and dad told me all about it already.

Everyone became quiet, and then a rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and sang:

"_Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can top them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're safe in hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

Everyone applauded when the hat finished and then it bowed to each of the four house tables.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.

She then began reading out the names, and one by one, first years were sorted.

When she called "Diggory, Cedric," I noticed it was the boy who helped me on the train.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted. The table on the right cheered as Cedric went and sat down at their table.

I watched him a little longer as he sat there before turning back to Professor McGonagall.

"Hopkins, Callidora!"

Fred and George shoved me a bit to get me going, and soon I was sitting on the stool with the Sorting Hat on my head.

"Hmm," said a small voice in my ear; it was the Sorting Hat. "Very intelligent. You would do well in Ravenclaw. You have plenty of courage, and a knack for rule breaking. Plenty of talent, too. Better be GRYFFINDOR!"

I took off the hat and happily walked over to the cheering Gryffindor table, where I sat across from the two oldest Weasleys and saved seats for Fred and George.

"Johnson, Angelina" and "Jordan, Lee" were next to be sorted into Gryffindor.

Finally it was Fred and George's turns to be sorted as they were the last two standing there. As they both said, they were sorted into Gryffindor as well, and took a seat on either side of me.

Fred, George, and I talked throughout the feast, and sometimes Fred and George's brother Charlie would jump in. Their other brother Percy, however, didn't say anything; he was too busy talking to who I could only guess were his friends.

After the feast, we went to the Gryffindor common room which was behind a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress. When our Prefect gave her the password, the portrait swung open and we went into the common room.

Once the Prefect told us where our dormitories were, Fred, George, and I were separated for the first time since we met on the Hogwarts Express.

We said goodnight to each other and I went to my dormitory and found my things in front of a four-poster with red curtains (there were five total).

I noticed Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet were also in my dormitory, but as we were too tired to talk, we changed into our pajamas and climbed into bed.

That night I fell asleep with the realization that I finally had friends.

**Please review!**


	3. Toilet Seats, Revenge,& Wrestling Trolls

**You can't imagine how sorry I am for not updating sooner. Things at school and home have been hectic for me so I'd appreciate it if you'd all be understanding and totally awesome about this whole ordeal. Hopefully, since my classes will be over after next week, I'll be able to update not only this story, but my others ones as well more frequently than one chapter every few months.**

**Sorry again, and leave plenty of super awesome reviews :)**

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Chapter 3: Toilet Seats, Revenge & Wrestling Trolls

I couldn't believe that it was my third year already. Time flew by so fast that it seemed like only yesterday I was sitting on the train meeting Fred and George.

They are still my best friends if that's what you're going to ask, as well as Lee Jordan, who after two days was already welcomed into our small group. I also became great friends with Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet.

During second year, Fred, George, and I tried out for the quidditch team. The twins became the new beaters, and Angelina and I became the new chasers while Alicia was our reserve. Our captain, Oliver Wood, was our keeper, and Charlie, Fred and George's brother, was our seeker. Last year was Charlie's last year, so we were going to have a hard time finding a new seeker.

The twins and I were a force to be reckoned with. We were always behind every prank that happened at school, and sometimes Lee would help. What was really funny, was that I was rarely ever caught, if not at all. Fred and George couldn't figure out why, but I knew it was because a teacher would never suspect a good student like me. Fred and George got good marks too, but they were more upfront with the pranks where I usually hung back and watched as it all happened.

I know you're wondering if the twins know about me being a metamorphmagus, and they do. When they found out during first year, instead of freaking out like I thought they would, they said it was the coolest thing they've ever seen, and it helped us prank more. I almost never got caught.

Mum and dad came with me to King's Cross like they did every year, but they couldn't stay long since they had to work today. Mum and dad are Aurors, or dark wizard catchers. These days they normally don't have to work, but today was one of those exceptions.

"Have fun at school this year, Dora," mum said.

"I will," I replied.

"Try not to get into too much trouble though," dad added. "And keep the twins in line; if Molly has to send another howler, she'll have a heart attack." I laughed. After their mum had found out about the stuff we had done, although she didn't think I had any part in it, the twins were banned from seeing me for two weeks over the summer after first year. Of course that didn't stop me from coming to see them. I still came over, and when no one was watching, I snuck up to their room to plan for new pranks.

"Is Remus coming to see me off this year?" I asked. Remus Lupin was my godfather and really good friends with mum and dad. I didn't get to see him much, but he always sent me birthday presents and came by when he could.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but you know he can't," mum said. "You know how he gets around this time." I sighed. You see, Remus was a werewolf, which is why I don't get to see him that often; it affected his health, and it isn't good for me to be around him when it was close to the full moon, like it is now.

"I know you miss him Dora," dad said. "We all do, but I'm sure he'll write to you like he always does." I crossed my arms and dad sighed. "Alright, I wasn't supposed to tell you, but I will anyway." I slowly uncrossed my arms. "He promised he'd be here when you came home at the end of the year." I smiled brightly at this and hugged my parents goodbye.

"Don't forget to write!" mum yelled after me.

"I won't!" I yelled back. Then I was off to search for Fred and George.

I crossed the barrier, and soon found them talking to their mum and Percy.

"Oh, are you a _Prefect_, Percy?" Fred said. "You should have said something, we had no idea."

"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said George. "Once-"

"Or twice-"

"A minute-"

"All summer-"

"Oh shut up," Percy said.

"How come Percy gets new robes anyway?" Fred asked.

"Because he's a _Prefect_," Mrs. Weasley said. "All right, dear, well, have a good term-send me an owl when you get there."

After kissing Percy on the cheek, he left and she turned to the twins.

"Now, you two- this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've- you've blown up a toiler or-"

"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."

"Great idea though, thanks, Mum."

"It's not _funny_. And look after Ron."

"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us," Fred said.

"Shut up," Ron replied. Fred and George always make fun of their brothers; especially Percy.

I snuck up to them just as the whistle for the train sounded, and Ginny started crying. She really wanted to go to Hogwarts already.

"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."

"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."

"_George!"_

"Only joking, Mum."

"Of course they are," I said. "Can't have them blowing things up now, can I?"

"Id!" the twins yelled while squishing me in a hug.

"It's been ages," George said.

"Of course," I replied. "It's not like I just saw you two yesterday."

"Ah, but that's way too long," Fred said. I rolled my eyes at them.

"Don't worry Mrs. Weasley," I said. "I'll keep my eyes on these two, and I'll watch out for Ron."

"Thank you Dora," she said.

"No problem."

"You boys would do well to start behaving more like her." The twins rolled their eyes at her.

"Now let's go find a place to sit," I said.

We waved to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley as the train started moving.

I ended up losing Fred and George as I was still waving goodbye to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. So I figured I'd see if Ron knew where they went.

"Hi Ron," I said as I found his compartment. He was sitting across from a boy with messy black hair and glasses.

"Oh, hey Dora," he said while his ears turned a light shade of pink.

"Have you seen your brothers?"

"They said they were going to see Lee down the middle of the train."

"Of course they did," I muttered. "They have got to stop ditching me on the train." I looked back at them to see that they were both staring at me. "See you at school then Ron. And nice to meet you…"

"Harry," the other boy said.

"Nice to meet you Harry." Then I walked off in search of the twin idiots I call my best friends.

I finally found them in a compartment on the middle of the train with Lee, who had a box sitting on the seat next to him.

I walked up to the twins, smacked each of them on the head, and sat in between them.

"Oi! What was that for?" Fred said while rubbing the side of his head.

"Ditching me on the train again, you stupid git," I replied.

"Aw c'mon Id, don't be like that," George said.

"You know you love us," Fred continued.

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "So what are we planning on doing with the tarantula?"

"I was thinking we'd set it loose in the common room," Lee said.

"No, that's way too boring," I replied. "I was thinking we'd set it loose in the first year Slytherin dorms."

"Marry me, Id," Fred said causing me to laugh. He's been saying that since the beginning of second year, ever since I came up with this brilliant prank to dye the Slytherin's hair red and gold.

"Sorry Fred, but we both know I love George more than you," I said. This was my usual answer to his insane proposals. And as usual, Fred pouted.

"Look at it this way mate," George said. "Better me than Lee."

"Yeah," Lee agreed. "Hey!" We all laughed after that.

We spent the rest of the train ride talking and eating sweets from the trolley. When I say talking, I mean planning for future pranks.

Once we arrived, we got out of the compartment and headed out onto the platform.

"I almost forgot to tell you Id," Fred said as I climbed onto his back. He started carrying me to the carriages after I fell asleep on the train last year; I hadn't gotten any sleep the night before.

"What?" I asked.

"Guess who we met on the train?" George asked.

"I don't know," I replied. I didn't feel like guessing; I was tired and hungry.

"Harry Potter," they said.

"Yeah right," I answered.

"No really Id," Fred said. "He was sitting with Ron on the train."

"We helped him with his trunk," George added.

"We could introduce you to him," Fred said as he put me down when we got to the carriages. He said it in that 'I'm showing off how much better I am than you' attitude he gets with me sometimes.

"As good as that sounds Fred, I've already met him," I replied as I climbed into the empty carriage.

"When?" he asked as he sat down next to me.

"While I was looking for the two of you after you ditched me." Then I crossed my arms and turned away from his as George and Lee joined us.

"Aw Id, we said we were sorry," Fred whined. George and Lee knew I was messing with him and were trying to contain their laughter, while I turned further away from him. "You said you forgave us."

"Lee, would you mind switching seats with me?" I asked, still pretending to be angry with Fred. "I keep hearing this really annoying sound; kind of like a fwooper."

Lee and George were trying really hard not to laugh now since we all knew from Care of Magical Creatures that fwoopers are bloody annoying birds.

Lee nodded his head, seeing as if he would have tried to say anything, he would have started laughing.

Instead of getting up to move though, I said "You know, if I were to get a fwooper, I'd name it Fred."

We couldn't contain our laughter after that, and we ended up laughing throughout the rest of the short ride to the castle.

When the carriages stopped moving, Fred was the first to get out, with me right behind him. I noticed that his arms were crossed and he wasn't looking at me.

'_So he was going to be like that now?'_ I thought.

"Fred, you know I was just kidding," I said. He still wouldn't look at me, but I knew he wasn't actually mad at me; he was just trying to get back at me.

George and Lee were watching completely amused as this happens all the time.

"Fine Fred," I said while pretending not to cry. "Be that way." Then I started walking away while rubbing at my eyes.

"Don't cry Id," he said as he caught up to me. "I was just trying to get back at you." I looked at the ground so he couldn't see me smirking. He's _so _predictable. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I replied while sniffling. George and Lee caught up to us by this point and were still watching with amused expressions. "And Fred?"

"Yeah?" he asked. Then I looked up at him, with no traces of tears or anything on my face.

"You are such a sucker," I said. George and Lee laughed at him and we started to walk towards the castle.

"That was a nasty trick you played on me," Fred said as he slung his arm over my shoulders. "I just might have to get you back for that."

"I'd like to see you try," I replied.

"Is that a challenge?"

"I believe it is mate," George said.

"Not again," Lee groaned. Fred and I had this ongoing bet that started first year. He claims that he can outprank me, and I say he can't. So far, I was right.

"Seriously Fred," I said. "Just give it a rest already. You're not going to beat me."

"You see, that's where you're wrong Id," he replied as we sat down at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. "I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve this year. You just wait." Then he winked.

"Sure," I said while rolling my eyes.

Then Professor McGonagall came in followed by the first years who kept looking around in amazement. I saw Ron who was talking to who I now knew was Harry Potter. Ron looked like he was about to hurl.

"What did you tell Ron he had to do?" I asked the twins.

"Oh nothing," George replied.

"Well there was that one thing-" Fred added.

"That might have-"

"Scared him-"

"Quite a bit," they chorused.

"Your mum is going to kill you both, you know that?" I said. "What did you tell him he had to do?"

"Nothing bad," George answered.

"Just wrestle a troll," Fred added.

"I wonder why Ron hasn't died of pure fear yet," I replied.

"He's used to it," they replied.

"Besides," Fred said. "You're the one people need to watch out for."

"Sure Fred," I said while rolling my eyes again. Then everyone got quiet as the Sorting Hat sung its song.

Once that was over, Professor McGonagall began calling out the names of the first years.

Lavender Brown was the first to be sorted into Gryffindor, followed by Seamus Finnigan and Hermione Granger, who in my opinion seemed better off in Ravenclaw.

When I heard the name "Malfoy" called I scowled. I hated that whole family,

As soon as "Potter, Harry!" was called, everyone began whispering, minus me. The twins were anxious because obviously, they wanted him to be in Gryffindor.

He was up there for a while before the hat finally shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"

Our table was screaming from the excitement.

Percy shook Harry's hand and I rolled my eyes at him. _'Suck up,'_ I thought.

Fred and George on the other hand, kept yelling "We got Potter!" so I smacked them both on the head to shut them up.

As expected, Ron was sorted into Gryffindor, and once the sorting was over, Dumbledore got up to make his pre-feast speech.

We ate and talked throughout the feast, and I was happy to finally be back at school.

Harry and Ron seemed to really hit it off, and I was happy they found a friend in each other. Percy was chatting it up with Hermione about lessons, which I completely ignored.

Once the feast was over, Dumbledore got up again to make the start of term speech.

"Ahem- just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you," he said.

"Which we will gladly ignore," Fred whispered.

"First years should note that the forest is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well," Dumbledore continued while looking over at the twins and I.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors."

"Only because he can't," George added.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."

"The only announcement that matters," I said.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

"Aw, I want to die a slow and torturous death," Fred said.

"Guess we can't go there then," I replied.

Then Dumbledore had us sing the school song, and the twins and I finished last, singing along to a very slow funeral march.

"Aw, music," Dumbledore said while wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The twins and I got up, followed by Lee, and we ran ahead of Percy to the common room.

We passed by some floating walking sticks which were headed towards the corridor with the entrance to the common room in it.

"I hope Peeves throws those at Percy," Fred muttered.

"I think we all do," I said. We gave the Fat Lady the password, and climbed through the portrait hole and into the common room.

We said good night and headed up to our dorms, as the first day back always makes us tired.

When I fell asleep, my dreams were filled with a three year old me, laughing and chasing a one year old boy with black hair as he flew around a house on a toy broom, while all of the adults laughed at us.

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**So was it good? I hope so cuz I wrote it lol.**

**Leave me lots of love in your reviews as always, and maybe a new chapter might come your way *hint**hint**wink**wink***


	4. Fighting Fire With Fire

**I'm so sorry it's taken me over a month to update, but with finals, school finishing up, graduation, and Voldemort having many total melt downs, I never had time to update. I'm going to try really hard to have weekly updates from now on so that I stay consistent in writing. Believe me, I miss writing as much as you all miss reading my stories, or at least I hope you like reading my stories. Well I'll leave you with the final word of me not having to deal with Voldemort anymore as he has now been replaced by a new, fully functional laptop. **

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Chapter 4: Fighting Fire With Fire

It had been over a week since I had that dream, and all I was able to work out was that my parents and Remus were some of the adults in the room. I still hadn't figured out who the little boy was, or the other people.

"Earth to Id," Fred said while waving his hand in my face.

"Oh sorry," I replied. "What did you say?"

"I _said_, that we have lessons with the Hufflepuffs today," he replied.

"Yeah. Right. I knew that," I answered.

"You okay?" he asked. "You've been acting off lately. You're not going mad are you?"

"It's nothing," I replied. "Just thinking."

"Well don't think too much; your head might explode."

"Oh haha," I said sarcastically. "Very funny Fred. Let's go, we're going to be late."

"Right," he said. "Wouldn't want to ruin your attendance record." I rolled my eyes.

"Oi! George, Lee!" I yelled at the two who were still eating, "Let's go already."

We walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts, which we had with Professor Quirrell.

"He's definitely hiding something in his turban," I said.

"And I'm telling you it's garlic to ward off the vampires," Fred replied.

"It definitely explains the bad smell," George added.

"Whatever," I said.

Fred and I sat together towards the back with George and Lee right behind us. Obviously we were the last ones in since we hate being early.

All throughout the lesson, Fred kept poking me and I accidentally yelled at him a bit too loudly.

"M-miss Hopkins," Professor Quirrell stammered. "M-move to the f-front." I scowled at Fred who grinned at me, before gathering my things and moving to the only open seat in the front of the class.

"Stupid Fred," I muttered when I sat down. "Poking me the whole lesson. Bloody git."

"You alright?"

I looked up to see gray eyes staring at me curiously.

"Yeah I'm fine" I replied after a second.

"That's good," he said. "I was wondering whether I should be concerned or not."

"Why?"

"Well I wasn't sure if you normally talked to yourself," he answered.

"Oh," I said my hair gaining a pink tint from embarrassment. "No, I uh, don't." He smiled at me causing my hair to become even pinker, but I quickly changed it back to normal before he noticed. It was hard to make friends because of what I was.

"I'm Cedric," he said once class was over.

"I'm Dora," I replied.

"Id!" Fred yelled, stopping us from having a longer conversation. "Let's go!"

"Sorry," I said while gathering my things.

"That's alright," he replied. "I guess I'll see you later then." I smiled and nodded at him before catching up with the twins.

"Since when are you in a rush to get to class?" I asked.

"Since when have you cared what I do?" he replied. "Besides, we've got lunch now and I'm hungry."

"Of course you are."

We headed down to the Great Hall for lunch and I sat next to Fred while George and Lee sat on the other side of us. I noticed Oliver Wood sitting a little further down from us, while muttering to himself, no doubt having something to do with Quidditch.

"Has Wood found a Seeker yet?" I asked. Fred looked over at him and saw the frustrated look on his face.

"Well, look on the bright side," he answered while putting his arm around my shoulders. "If he doesn't find a Seeker, you could always do it."

"Yeah right," I replied. He knew I'd never give up being a Chaser. "Besides, I'd be a rubbish Seeker." Then Wood came over to us. "Any luck on finding a new Seeker?"

"No," Wood replied. "At this rate I don't think we'll ever find one good enough to replace Charlie."

"Cheer up Wood," Fred started.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll find someone," George added.

"Well if I don't, I need a back up," he said. "So Dora, I was thinking I'd move you from Chaser to Seeker, and move Katie up from reserve."

"Why me though?" I asked.

"Because you're the fastest flyer on the team this year, and we someone with more experience playing to fill the spot."

"Fine," I sighed. "But only if you don't find anyone else." He smiled and walked away, and the twins and Lee started laughing. "Oh shut up." Then I got up and started walking to Transfiguration.

"Oh come on Id," Fred said as he caught up to me.

"Yeah," George added. "It's just funny that he asked you that."

"Sure," I replied while rolling my eyes.

Once Transfiguration was over, Fred came over to me as I opted to sit with George so I wouldn't get yelled at again.

"It's completely obvious why you're on the team anyway," he said, continuing our conversation from earlier.

"What? Other than the fact that I'm good at Quidditch?" I replied.

"He totally fancies you," George answered.

"He does not!" I yelled. "Are you two completely mental!" Then Wood ran over to us.

"I found a Seeker," he told us. "So you don't have to worry about it Dora. I saw Fred smirk out of the corner of my eye, and I kicked him.

"So who is it then?" George asked. Wood looked to see if anybody was around.

"Harry Potter," he whispered.

"Wicked," the twins said.

"Keep it a secret," he warned. "I don't want anyone finding out just yet." The twins saluted him before he smiled at me quickly and ran off, probably to let the rest of the team know.

I looked over at Fred and George to see them smiling evilly at me.

"What are you up to?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," they replied while slowly moving in the direction of where Wood ran off.

"Don't you dare," I hissed at them, completely aware of what they were up to.

"Too late!" Fred yelled before he and George took off.

"Get back here!" I yelled while chasing after them.

I saw them round a corner so I went right after them but ended up running into something.

"You okay?" they said while steadying me. I looked up to see that I had accidentally run into Cedric.

"Yeah I'm fine," I replied. "Sorry for running into you."

"That's alright. So why were you running anyway?"

"Fred and George," I answered. "You haven't seen them have you?"

"Yeah, they looked like they were headed to the Great Hall."

"Thanks," I said while running in that direction. "See you later!"

I finally spotted them walking away from Harry and Ron. When they saw me, they ran off again.

"Hey Ron, Harry," I said while running up to them.

"Oh, hey Dora," Ron said, his ears turning pink."

"Congrats on making the team Harry; I play Chaser." He nodded his head with a smile. "So anyway, do you know where the twins are off to?"

"They said Lee found a new secret passageway out of the school," Ron answered right away.

"Secret passageway my arse," I said. "Well, thanks anyway." Then I ran off in the direction of where I last so them.

When I finally caught up to them, I was out of breath from running so much. And wouldn't you know it, they were talking to Lee.

"I'm…going to…kick…your sorry…arses…into…next week," I said while trying to catch my breath.

"Now that's not a very nice thing to say," Fred said.

"Yeah. We haven't done anything," George added.

"Yet," they both said.

"You two are so…insufferable!" I yelled. "First, you started poking me until I got so mad at you that I yelled, and Professor Squirrel made me move," I said to Fred after poking him hard in the chest. "Then, you insist that the only way I got on the Quidditch team is because Wood fancies me, which is NOT true. And then you make me miss dinner because you ran all over the school, making me think you went after him!"

By this time, my fists were clenched at my sides, and I knew my hair was flaming red, so much so, that from a distance, it would probably look like my head was on fire.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you two?"

"Calm down, Id," Fred said. "We were just joking."

"Well you took it too far," I replied still angry. "You should learn not to be so cruel when you joke around; especially with me." Then I walked off towards the kitchens to get something to eat.

After getting a few biscuits from the elves, I went back to the common room and ate them by the fire.

I realized I hadn't replied to the letter from my godfather, so I pulled out my quill and some parchment, and started to write.

_Dear Uncle Moony,_

_ Of course I'm going to call you this when I talk to you. Well, not in front of mum, because if she found out that I had the map, she'd burn it. Dad wouldn't be too happy about that, and I have a feeling you secretly want it around too. Dad still tells me stories about your adventures at school, and I always find them hilarious._

_ Anyway, sorry for not writing back sooner, but I was a little busy with school and such. Everything is fine here, and school's the same. Of course I've been up to no good, when am I not? I still haven't been caught, which I find hilarious._

_ I was wondering if you could tell me something, too. I've been having this strange dream ever since school started, but it seems more like a memory than a dream. It was when I was really little, and you, mum, and dad were there. Also there were a few others, and a little boy flying around on a toy broom._

_ Can't wait to see you over Christmas break!_

_ Love,_

_ Dora_

Once I finished the letter, I placed it in an envelope, addressed it, and put it into my bag to take down to the owlery in the morning.

The portrait hole swung open then and the twins walked through followed closely by Lee. I was still angry with them so I gathered my things and went up to bed.

I had that same dream when I went to sleep, and it woke me up. I wasn't able to go back to sleep, so I went down to the common room to try and clear my head.

I didn't realize how long I'd been down there until I saw the faintest bit of sunlight creeping in through the windows; I had stayed up all night.

Quietly, I made my way back up to my dorm to get dressed, and by the time I finished getting ready, everyone else was up and preparing for the day. So, I made my way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

There were a few other students down there by the time I came down, so I just sat at the table and started grabbing some food while trying not to yawn,

When I was done, I grabbed a few extra pieces of toast, wrapped them up in a napkin, and headed towards the owlery to deliver my letter.

I was mid yawn when I bumped into someone. I only knew it was a person because walls don't have arms; well _normal_ walls don't.

"I'm – yawn – sorry," I said. "I'll – yawn – try to – yawn – pay more attention – yawn – next time."

"Rough night then, eh?"

I looked up and saw Cedric standing there with a sympathetic smile on his face while he steadied me.

"Not really," I replied with a yawn. "Couldn't sleep."

"Bad dream?"

"No. Just a lot on my mind – yawn – I guess." Cedric nodded understandingly.

"So, where are you off to?" he asked.

"Owlery," I replied. "I'm sending a letter to my godfather."

"Would you mind if I joined you?" he asked, with a slight blush forming on his cheeks.

"Not at all," I replied, my cheeks and hair turning pink in response. I was suddenly wide-awake and had no idea where the newfound energy came from.

"You know, your hair is pink," Cedric said as we started heading towards the owlery. All that did was make it worse.

I was finally able to gain control over my embarrassment and change my hair back to the natural brown that it was by the time we reached the owlery.

"You're a metamorphmagus, aren't you?" he asked as I called Athena down.

"Oh…uh…yeah," I replied while tying the letter to Athena's outstretched leg. "Pretty weird, right?"

"Well, maybe to some people, but I actually think it's pretty cool," he answered, causing me to smile. Ever since then, we've been really great friends.

Two days after that, Fred and George ran up to me, begging me to speak to them again. Well, Fred begged; George stood there and nodded his head at everything Fred said to me.

It was now the day of our first "official" Hogsmeade trip. It wasn't as much of a big deal for Fred, George, Lee, and I since we had been sneaking out there since first year, but it was nice to know we couldn't get in trouble for going this time.

"Oh come on, Id. I thought you forgave us," Fred complained. "How come you won't go to Hogsmeade with us?"

"I told you, Fred, I've made other plans," I answered.

"Well, we all know you're not going with Angelina and Alicia since they're coming with us, so who is it then?"

You see, ever since I told Fred and George that I wasn't going to Hogsmeade with them last week, they've been bugging me about who I was going with. I obviously wasn't going to tell them because then they'd bother me about it for the rest of my life.

"Did you ever think that maybe I'm not going?" I said trying to get them to stop asking me. I was so close to just telling them to sod off.

"Right," George answered. "Like you'd miss a Hogsmeade trip." They know me too well.

"And besides," Fred added. "You wouldn't be standing in the Entrance Hall if you weren't going."

"Fine, you caught me," I said. "I am going."

"So you're going to tell us who you're going with?" Lee practically begged while the twins had hopeful looks on their faces.

"Oh fine," I said with an overdramatic sigh. "I'll tell you."

"So who is it?" Fred asked eagerly. I looked around quickly, and the first person I saw, I knew would be a great way to get back at them.

"I'm going with Montague," I answered with a straight face.

"WHAT?" the three of them yelled.

"Are you completely mental?" Fred added. "Why in the name of Merlin, are you going with that prat?"

"Oh, I'm not," I replied calmly. "Now you know not to mess with me." I winked at them with a smile on my face as all of their mouths dropped open. So, I did what any person would do in a situation like this; I took a picture of them. That snapped them right out of it.

"I hope you know we're getting you back for that," Fred said.

"Course you are," I replied while rolling my eyes.

"You ready to go Dora?" I smiled as the twins' and Lee's mouths dropped open in shock yet again. I also took a picture of that one, too.

"Sure am," I replied with a smile.

We started to walk away, but Fred called me back.

"One minute I said before walking back. "What do you want, Fred?"

"What are you doing?" he whispered angrily.

"Me? Oh, I'm just taking your wonderful advice Fred. After all, it _was_ your idea in the first place, so I guess I have to thank you for that."

"I never thought you'd do it," he replied while his face turned red from anger.

"I didn't," I said angrily. "_He_ did. And it's none of your business who I go to Hogsmeade with anyway."

"Well I have a right to know!" he yelled.

"You know now!" I yelled back causing my hair to turn red.

"Hope you have _loads_ of fun with _him_, then!"

"Oh, I will! Want to know why? _You_ won't be there!" Then I walked off, leaving Fred steaming, and George and Lee with the same shocked expressions on their faces.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, peachy," I answered still a bit angry. Then we left for Hogsmeade.

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**I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me lots of reviews!**

**~Sydni**


	5. Getting Burned

**So, as promised, I've updated this week. Isn't that great? I hope you enjoy this chapter, as it was a pain to get done since my dog is extremely needy during thunderstorms.**

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Chapter 5: Getting Burned

"I'm sorry about that," I said as Oliver and I walked into Honeydukes.

"Don't be. I'm sorry I made you fight with him."

"You still can't tell them apart, can you?" I asked. He shook his head. "All you need to know is that Fred's a no good, stupid git."

"I'll take your word for it," he replied while grabbing the chocolate frogs for me. "Are you really going to eat all these chocolate frogs?"

"Of course not," I answered. "Some of these are for my godfather." He laughed and shook his head at me. I guess he didn't realize that my godfather really was a chocolate addict.

Oliver and I got a few more things from Honeydukes before we walked out to go into another shop.

"Do you mind if we go into Scrivenshaft's?" I asked. "I need to get a few things."

"Not at all," he replied. "I need to get more ink anyway."

After getting a few quills and some ink, we decided to go to The Three Broomsticks for butterbeer.

As we were walking, Oliver suddenly took my hand in his, and I smiled up at him as he smiled down at me. The happy moment was short-lived though, as Fred walked by us. He was walking out of The Three Broomsticks followed closely by George and Lee, when he spotted my hand in Oliver's. His face suddenly went very red, and he stormed off, leaving George and Lee running after him.

We walked into the pub and I got a table while Oliver ordered our drinks.

"Please tell me you two will stop fighting before our first Quidditch match," he said when he sat down. "Because I'd really hate to see you get hit in the head by a Bludger because one of our Beaters is angry with you."

"Don't look at me," I replied. "I don't even know why he's mad at me in the first place. He's the one that started yelling at me for no reason."

Since it's normal for people to walk in and out of the pub, I paid no mind when the door opened and closed. But when I saw a familiar head of red hair sit down not far from us, I narrowed my eyes inconspicuously at the figure as I noticed we were being watched.

We talked some more and finished our butterbeer, all while George and Lee, as I soon realized was there as well, spied on me.

Oliver took my hand again as we were leaving, and I noticed that George and Lee got up as well. _'They're asking for it,'_ I thought.

"Do you mind if we make one more stop before we go back?" I asked.

"Sure. Where at?"

"Zonko's," I answered with a mischievous glint in my eyes.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Don't look now," I whispered so only he could hear me. "But George and Lee have been following us." He snuck a glance out of the corner of his eye and did in fact notice the pair following us, while trying to be inconspicuous. Oliver shook his head at me and I grinned up at him as we walked into Zonko's.

I restocked on the essentials, and grabbed a few extra things I would need to get back at George and Lee, before Oliver and I made our way back to the castle.

"Today was…interesting," Oliver said as we walked towards the Great Hall. "I had fun, though."

"Yeah, me too," I replied. He smiled at me before giving me a kiss on the cheek, and leaving me to sit with his friends. Since my friends were being nosy gits and bloody idiots, I opted to sit with Angelina, Alicia, and Katie.

Out of all three girls, Katie was probably the one I spent the most time with. Even though she's in the year below mine, we have a lot in common.

"Why didn't you come to Hogsmeade with us?" Alicia asked. "You did go, right?"

"'Course I did," I answered. "I'd never miss a Hogsmeade trip."

"Then where were you?" Angelina asked. "We were with Lee and the twins in The Three Broomsticks, and when we asked where you were, Fred stormed off and George and Lee ran after him. We haven't seen them since."

"I'm not surprised they haven't told you," I replied. "I guess I'm a sore spot for them at the moment." The three girls looked at me in that "get on with it" eager look, but I ignored it.

"So?" Alicia nearly begged.

"I was on a date if you must know," I said calmly while putting food on my plate.

"With who?" Angelina asked. "And why didn't you tell us?"

"Because it's honestly not that big of a deal."

"If it's not that big of a deal, you should be able to tell us," Katie said, finally contributing to the conversation.

"Fine," I sighed. "I went with Oliver." They all stared at me wide-eyed, with their mouths open in shock. "What?" Still they said nothing; they just stared. "Really? You're just going to stare at me like that after you begged me to tell you?" Again, I got nothing. "Sometimes I just don't underst-"

As I tried to finish my sentence, I was cut off but something cold and slimey landing on my head. It dripped down my head and onto my face, and I realized it was a greenish looking goo.

Looking back at the looks the girls had given me, I realized that they weren't looks of shock, but of horror.

I looked back at the girls, but all three of them had a hand over their mouth, with their eyes wide. So, I peeked over to where I knew Fred was sitting and saw him smirking at me.

The whole hall was silent as I got up, and as calmly as I could, made my way towards the exit with my head held high.

Once the door was closed, I ran all the way up to the common room, with silent tears spilling down my face the whole time.

I silently cast _Evanesco_ to clear the goo off of my head, and then went to shower; just to make sure it was all off.

When I was all cleaned up, I changed into my comfiest pajamas, put on the new jumper mum got me, and went back down to the common room to sit by the fire. As soon as I started walking down the stairs though, I heard a lot of yelling, and even saw some of the younger and older girls running up the stairs to get to their dorms.

Once I reached the bottom of the staircase, I saw Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Oliver, Fred, George, and Lee all yelling in the middle of the common room. I couldn't really make out what they were saying, or rather, what they were yelling at each other, but I heard my name mentioned once or twice.

Someone must have caught sight of me because everyone suddenly stopped yelling, and it got eerily silent in the room.

I walked over to one of the squishy red armchairs in front of the fireplace and sat down.

"Dora," Katie said cautiously while sitting down on the arm of the chair. She was probably trying to gauge the severity of my emotions at the moment, and to which extreme I was at. "You okay?"

It was even more silent now, it seemed, as everyone awaited my response. So, to add to the suspense, I slowly turned my head to look at Katie before answering, "I'm fine."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Mhm," I answered. "Why wouldn't I be? It wasn't like someone was _intentionally_ trying to hurt me, right?" Katie flinched slightly, as well as everyone else who was still in the common room. They all knew how bad my temper flared sometimes, especially if someone tried to upset me, and now was just the beginning of it.

"Well, we just thought that with what happened-" Alicia cut in.

"Well you thought wrong," I interrupted a bit angrily. The girls though, knew that I really was upset and just trying to hide it, while the boys really thought that I was angry. "If that's all, I'm going to bed."

I got up from my seat, and confidently walked up the stairs, back to my dorm. I knew the girls wouldn't be too far behind, ready to cheer me up, so I left the curtains open around my bed, and waited for them to walk in.

When they came in, they all sat around me, and waited for me to speak.

"I just can't believe he'd do something so mean for no reason," I finally said. "Our pranks are never meant to intentionally hurt each other, so why would he do that?"

"Because he's a boy," Alicia said. "And everyone knows that boys are bloody idiots."

"The only question now is," Angelina added. "How are you going to get him back?"

"What makes you think I haven't already?" I countered with a smirk. "Fred Weasley is going to pay for messing with me."

* * *

So the next day, Oliver walked me to my first class with Angelina and Alicia right there with us.

I sat with Alicia this time. We were close enough to Fred so that we could both see how my "revenge" played out.

As soon as Professor Flitwick started the lesson, Fred reached for his quill so he could start writing down his new prank ideas. However, when he tried to write, the quill unnaturally bent away from his parchment, which made it impossible for him to use it. He tried quill after quill, but none of them worked, so he tried to use George's, but that one didn't work either.

"Did you do that?" Alicia whispered to me. I nodded with a smirk on my face as she sniggered into her hand. "Is that all you did?"

"No, it gets better," I replied as Fred reached for his textbook. I guess he figured that if he couldn't write, he might as well pay attention for once. "Watch this."

The pair of us watched as Fred continued to try to pry open his Charms book, but failed. Alicia and I both were trying to hide our laughter by this point, as Fred looked utterly ridiculous while trying to pry open his book.

"Won't George just be able to open it?" Alicia asked as Fred handed the book over to George. I shook my head.

"No, just watch what happens," I answered. As soon as George attempted to open the book, it sealed itself shut with a padlock. It took everything Alicia and I had to keep ourselves from laughing out loud.

The next few weeks passed in the same manner; Fred would "attempt" to rudely prank me, then I would prank him back worse.

Oliver and I eventually broke up considering we felt more like friends anyway. The only real interesting thing that happened was on Halloween when a troll was found in the dungeon during the feast.

Now it was time for our first Quidditch match, and I was feeling the normal pre-game nerves. Once I was in the air though, my confidence came right back.

The Slytherins were playing dirty as usual, and of course Lee had to mention it, which then caused him to get yelled at by McGonagall.

Eventually, the match came to a close with Harry catching the Snitch for us, or as Flint put it, "nearly swallowing it."

As we all swooped down to celebrate our win over Slytherin, Alicia pointed behind me, and with a horrified voice yelled, "Dora! Watch out!"

I turned my head just far enough to see a Bludger slam right into the side of my face before everything went black.

* * *

"Why is it that she can't go through a single match without getting hit with a Bludger?"

"She has!"

"Name one."

"Every match we've had with Hufflepuff."

"You're forgetting that one with Ravenclaw last year," I said, finally able to open my eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Alicia asked.

"Like I've been hit on the head with a Bludger," I replied.

"She's back," George said with a laugh.

"Oh haha," I retorted sarcastically while clutching the side of my aching head. "How much longer to I have to be here?"

"Madam Pomfrey says you have to spend the night," Angelina answered.

"Brilliant," I muttered. "Has anyone brought me something to eat?"

"We'll just go and get you something," Katie said. Then she, Angelina, and Alicia literally dragged everyone out so it was just me and Fred.

"So…," Fred said while breaking the silence. "How have you been?"

"Really, Fred?" I asked with a bit of a laugh. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were the one that got hit on the head with a Bludger."

"Very funny, Id," he replied while sitting on the chair next to my bed.

"You deserve it. You've been acting like a bloody idiot."

"I know," he sighed. "George has been telling me that since we started fighting."

"And?"

"And I'm sorry, alright? I guess I was just mad that you weren't going to Hogsmeade with us."

"Aw, was Fweddie jeawous?" I teased. He scoffed.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "If anything, it was you who was jealous since you wasted your Hogsmeade visit with Wood."

"Oh, you caught me." We both laughed, and by the time everyone got back with food for me, it was like nothing ever happened.

"So now that everything's right again between you two," George said. "Can you show me how you charmed all of Fred's things?" Everyone laughed.

"Yeah, that was bloody brilliant," Lee added.

"My dad actually told me how to do it," I answered. "It's just a charm that basically prevents you from using certain objects."

Soon Madam Pomfrey came in and kicked everyone out so I could get some rest.

"We've got a lot of catching up to do with our pranks," Fred said as he and George were leaving. They insisted that they be allowed to stay a few more minutes.

"You're only saying that because you've, once again, fallen behind the mastermind behind it all," I replied.

"Rub it in, why don't you?" George said.

"I though I was already doing that."

"Yeah, yeah," Fred said. "Just go to sleep you evil genius."

"Now that's more like it," I replied with a smile. The twins shook their heads at me before saying goodnight and leaving me to sleep.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it! Please leave me a review! And for updates on how my stories are progressing, check out my profile for the link to my livejournal. Also, if you have any suggestions for pranks or something you might like to see, leave it in a review or pm me, and it might just show up ;)**


	6. Strange Occurrences

**Okay so I know it's been a while since I updated this story, but last year was very crazy for me. Adjusting to college life wasn't easy for me at all so obviously my stories suffered. I really am sorry it's taken me this long to update but I finally have a new super long chapter. I really hope you all enjoy it, and I'm truly sorry for taking so long.**  
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Chapter 6: Strange Occurrences

That first Quidditch match turned into Christmas; Christmas turned into mine and the twins' birthday; and our birthday turned into the end of the year. I'd be lying if I said nothing had happened this year because something big had.

Towards the end of the year, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went down to the dungeons where Harry ended up facing Professor Quirrell to keep him from getting the Philosopher's Stone. So, to cheer him up a bit for being stuck in the hospital wing, and for a good laugh, Fred, George, and I sent him a toilet seat. Sadly it was confiscated by Madam Pomfrey, but we still got a good laugh out of stealing it.

Then, last year, we ended up getting, in my opinion, the worst DADA teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart. I honestly had no idea what girls saw in him; he's a brainless git who couldn't even produce a shield charm.

That year though, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, and the monster in it went around petrifying muggleborns, Filch's cat, and Nearly Headless Nick. Ginny, Fred and George's younger sister, was taken into the Chamber, so Harry and Ron went in to save her with Lockhart.

Lockhart ended up losing his memory, and Ron and Harry were able to save Ginny. She sure had an eventful first year at Hogwarts.

On a side note, Cedric and I have been dating since the summer before fourth year. How did that happen you ask? Well, Mum and Dad invited Cedric's family over for dinner towards the beginning of the summer, and we started hanging out quite a bit. Of course, Mum and Dad were thrilled, and before you ask, no, the twins don't know yet. Could you imaging what they'd say to me if they knew?

Normally, I'd be hanging out with the twins over at the Burrow, but since their family won a contest, the whole family decided to go visit Fred and George's oldest brother Bill in Egypt. Bill works for Gringotts as a curse breaker. Fred and George said it's a really wicked job, but I haven't had a single letter from them since their mum grounded them for trying to shut Percy in one of the tombs.

Just as I was thinking I wasn't going to see Fred and George until we left for Hogwarts, Percy's owl Hermes, appeared at my window with a letter.

Apparently, the twins weren't going to be home until the day before we go back to school, meaning they were doing all of their school shopping then, too. All I had to do was convince my parents to wait until the last day so I could meet the twins at the Leaky Cauldron.

After hours of begging and pleading, I finally convinced my parents to wait until the last day of holidays to go to Diagon Alley.

On another note, I've noticed that lately my parents have been working a lot more than they normally do, and when I ask them why, they always brush it off like it's no big deal. Also, whenever I come downstairs for breakfast, Dad folds up that day's Daily Prophet and puts it with his things for work. Now, I normally wouldn't care because I don't really read the Daily Prophet, but since my dad wouldn't even let me see the front page, I got somewhat curious. What was in the Prophet that I wasn't allowed to see?

For the rest of the summer, I spent most of my time either with Cedric or trying to spy on my parents while they were having whispered conversations.

By the last day of holidays, I hadn't figured out what it was they were talking about or what was going on, but at least I was finally going to see the twins again.

We arrived at Diagon Alley around dinnertime to try and miss the last minute shoppers, quickly got my things, and headed to the Leaky Cauldron.

"I notice they haven't made you two prefects," Mrs. Weasley said as Mum, Dad, and I walked into the Leaky Cauldron.

"What do we want to be prefects for?" George replied looking disgusted. "It'd take all the fun out of life."

"A chance to be out of bed late at night without getting in trouble?" I interrupted. "Doesn't seem so bad to me."

"Oi! We were on a roll here," Fred complained.

"Sure," I said. "Thanks for the 'hello' by the way." The twins' evil grins returned, and then they each took turns shaking my hand and elbowing each other to get their turn while telling me how "smashing" it was to see me again.

"Cut it out," I said, seizing back my arm and giving them both a sharp slap on the head.

"That hurts you know!" George yelled.

"How tragic," I replied with fake sympathy. I looked over to where Mum and Dad were standing to see them having a frantic, whispered conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"So, Id," Fred said breaking me out of my thoughts. "Your summer must have been awful without us around."

"Of course," I replied. "I had nothing to do all summer but wait for you to come back."

"Really?" George asked.

"Of course not," I answered. "My life doesn't revolve around the two of you."

"Then what exactly were you doing all summer?" Fred asked skeptically. I glanced over at Mum and Dad again to see that they weren't looking, before pulling Fred and George away from everyone else.

"I've been spying on my parents," I whispered. "I think they're hiding something from me."

"Your parents hiding something? You must be joking," Fred replied. "Your parents never hide anything from you."

"Yes, well they are now," I said. "They've been working a lot more lately, and I don't think I've seen a Prophet all summer."

"So?" George asked. "Not like you read it."

"That's not the point!" I replied angrily. "My parents always tell me everything, and they haven't had a single conversation with me other than 'how was your day?' It's frustrating!"

"Stop overreacting, Id," Fred said. "It's probably nothing."

"Fine," I huffed. "Don't believe me. But don't come crying to me when you need me to believe something important."

I attempted to avoid the twins for the rest of the night, but of course when it was time to eat dinner, the only open seat available at the table was in between the two of them.

"Can't avoid us forever," George said.

"Sadly," I replied.

"You wound me," Fred said while clutching his chest.

"You'll live," I said.

"…and Dora has some exciting news as well," my mum said. '_Uh oh,_' I thought. "Go ahead and tell them."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mum," I replied. "Any news you have is news to me."

"Oh don't be so modest," she said. "Tell them how you made p-"

"Perfectly good cookies," I interrupted. "I wouldn't say they were perfect. Far from it actually. I mean, some of them got burnt and the rest were just awful. I guess now we know I can't bake."

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about sweetheart," Mum said confused. "I meant the fact that you made prefect."

"So _that's_ why you tried to convince us that prefects weren't boring," Fred said. Just great. This was the one thing that I wanted them to avoid finding out for as long as possible. And to think, my parents hadn't taken notice of me at all over the summer and my mum chose _this_ to tell them!? I would have much rather her have told them about Cedric than the whole prefect situation.

"I'm more surprised that they picked you," George said.

"Oh shut up already," I said, which just made the two of them laugh. "I'm seriously reconsidering our friendship."

"Oh, they're just joking Dora," Mum said. "You should feel very proud of yourself; I know I'm proud of you."

"Really?" I said. "Because you have a funny way of showing it."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dad asked.

"You know exactly what it means! You and Mum haven't been around much recently, and now that you have some 'good news' to talk about which, mind you, you just found out _this morning_, you suddenly have an interest in my life!?"

"Dora," Mum said surprised.

"You know it's true! You spent all of your time at work! And when you weren't at work, you spent all of your time avoiding me!" At this point I was just so angry with them. Sure, it's wrong to start yelling at them in front of the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and whoever else was in the Leaky Cauldron, but I obviously wasn't thinking. "So why don't you just go back to work since you obviously care more about your jobs then your only child!" I just stared at the dumbfounded looks on everyone's faces before getting up from the table and going upstairs to my room.

I'll be the first to admit that that was not the most mature way to deal with how I felt, but I was so caught up in the moment, and the fact that I had been holding those feelings in all summer didn't help either.

I walked over to my owls and opened their cages. Nyx immediately flew out and onto my shoulder as a sign to let her outside. So, I opened the window and watched her fly out.

Athena, on the other hand, flew to my shoulder and stayed there, since she knew I needed the comfort at the moment.

I sat down on the bed with Athena still perched on my shoulder, and just looked out the window while absent mindedly petting Athena.

There was a knock on the door, but I made no attempt to open the door, or answer whoever was knocking. But there was no need, as whoever was knocking let themselves in.

"Dora," I heard Mum say. Athena, sensing the tension in the room, rubbed her head against my cheek, before flying out of the window to join Nyx. "Your father and I are so sorry for not being around this summer." I turned around to see both my mum and dad standing in the doorway. "But you know how our jobs get sometimes; you have to realize this wasn't easy for us."

"Actually Mum, I don't," I replied. "You have always been around over the summer, why is it any different now?"

"Sweetheart, you have to understand-"

"No, she's right," Dad interrupted. Mum looked at him surprised slightly before trying to say something, but Dad cut her off again. "Vi, she's right; it is different this time. We haven't been around much this summer because something happened that hasn't before, so they needed as many of us as possible to help."

"What? The Minister got lost?" I asked sarcastically. A smile came across my dad's face and he tried not to laugh, considering we all knew his distaste for the man.

"No," he said as the smile left his face. "Someone has escaped from Azkaban."

"But I thought it was impossible," I said surprised.

"So did we," Dad replied. "Which is why we've been away so much; we've been trying to track the prisoner down and put him back into Azkaban."

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" I asked.

"We didn't want to worry you," Mum answered. "We were hoping it would be a quick job, and you wouldn't have had to find out about it at all."

"But," Dad added. "Since it wasn't a quick job, and we haven't caught him yet, you should know what we were doing, considering you would have found out soon anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"The Ministry has decided to have Hogwarts guarded this year, just in case," Mum answered.

"So they're sending Aurors to guard the castle?"

"Not exactly," Dad replied. "They're sending the Azkaban guards to watch the castle." Now I had heard about them before. Dad has told me before that they are some of the most foul and gruesome beings. "We just want to make sure you stay safe, and away from them because regardless of who they're after, they will come after you if you get in their way."

"Promise us you'll stay safe and out of trouble this year?" Mum asked.

"I promise," I replied. Then I went over to her and Dad and hugged them. No matter how irritating they can be sometimes, they're still my parents and I love them.

For some reason though, after they left me alone, I couldn't help but feel like they still hadn't told me everything. The look on my dad's face as he was talking about the man that escaped from Azkaban seem odd; almost like he'd rather not even think about him.

It wasn't until the twins burst through my door holding Percy's Head Boy badge that I broke out of my thoughts.

"So, what are we doing with it?" I asked.

"Oh, you know, just spiffing it up a bit," Fred replied with a smirk.

"I've got a few ideas."

"Brilliant," George said. "Care to share?"

So we ended up changing the words on his badge to switch between saying 'Bighead Boy' and 'Humongous Bighead.'

"By the way, Id," Fred said. "You left this downstairs." Then he held up my prefect badge, only instead of it saying 'Prefect' it said 'Prankster.' "We felt it was more fitting."

"You two are ridiculous," I said as I laughed at the badge.

"Well at least now you can be seen wearing it," George replied.

"Right you are Forge," Fred added. "I think a 'thank you' is in order."

"Well I think an apology is in order as well," I said.

"Oh, and why is that?" George asked.

"My mum and dad _were_ hiding something from me," I said. I heard a tapping sound on my window and got up to let Nyx and Athena back in before shutting the window and sitting back down.

"What were they hiding then?" Fred asked.

"Someone's escaped from Azkaban," I replied.

"No one's ever escaped Azkaban," George said.

"Yeah, well someone has, and my parents have been chasing him these last few weeks."

"Sure, Id," Fred replied.

"You don't believe me now either," I stated.

"Not one bit," George said.

"Fine, but when we get to Hogwarts, and you, once again, find out I was right, you're going to owe me so much."

"Yeah, sure," Fred said while rolling his eyes. He may have thought I was lying, but by the time we get to Hogwarts, he'll know I was right.

We went to bed soon after that, figuring we'd need our rest so we could spend as much time on the train planning more pranks.

That night after I fell asleep, I had an awful dream.

I was standing in a dark room, and all I could see were these bright eyes staring at me. The eyes seemed oddly familiar somehow, but I couldn't tell how.

Then suddenly, whatever it was, came charging forward and just as it was about to attack me, I woke up gasping.

I sat up in my bed and rubbed my eyes. I couldn't get the image of those eyes out of my head; they scared me, but at the same time, I felt like I recognized them.

All of a sudden, I felt a breeze, and looked over to see that my window had opened. I looked over to where my owls were, but only saw Athena, who was safely locked in her cage. Nyx, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen and her cage was opened.

"Must have let herself out again," I said to myself. Nyx always had a habit of getting out of her cage and flying off in the middle of the night, but she was never gone long.

I got up out of bed, and walked over to the window to see if Nyx was anywhere in sight. Just as I was about to stick my head out of the window, Nyx flew right in, and landed on the ledge.

"If you don't stop doing that, I'm going to start putting a lock on your cage," I sad to her. I held my arm out and she perched herself there before I shut the window and locked it. It was then that I noticed that she was carrying a small note. "What have you got there?"

I grabbed the note from Nyx, and she then flew up to my shoulder, and stared at the small piece of parchment in my hand as if she was going to read the note as well.

_'Don't believe everything you hear.'_

That's what was written on that small bit of parchment. I was confused and scared all at the same time; confused because I didn't know what this was about, and scared because I had no idea who sent this, and how they knew how to get it to me, especially with my owl.

Since it was still too early in the morning for even my parents to be awake, I decided to try to go back to sleep, and would show them the note in the morning.

So, in the morning after getting all of my things down the stairs, and double checking to see if Nyx and Athena's cages were shut tightly, I went over to my parents who were in the middle of a conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum, Dad," I said effectively getting their attention. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley seemed to realize that I needed to speak to my parents alone, so they excused themselves to go check to see if their kids were ready to go.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Mum asked.

"Well, I woke up in the middle of the night," I answered. "And I saw that my window was open, and Nyx was gone. I really didn't think anything of it at first because she has gotten out before, but I got worried when she brought me this."

I handed the note over to Mum, who took one look at it before handing it over to Dad with a concerned look on her face. This was the first time I ever saw my dad get so worried over anything.

"Dora, are you sure you have absolutely no idea who gave this to you?" he asked.

"Well at first I thought it could've been Fred or George, but this isn't their handwriting, and they wouldn't do that," I answered.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. Dad gave Mum and very concerned look before helping me get my things outside since the Ministry cars were there to take us to King's Cross.

As we headed outside, Dad seemed to be on high alert; he kept looking all around as if he was expecting someone to jump out and attack us. But all of a sudden he froze, causing Mum to stop walking as well.

"Dad?" I asked.

"Dora, get in the car," he said.

"Why? What's going on?" I was really confused. Did he see something?

"Do as your father says," Mum said. They were really worrying me now, but I did what they said and got in the car, before watching them walk over to Mr. Weasley, whisper something and walk into an alley way.

I was ready to get out of the car, but Mr. Weasley came over and blocked the door.

"Dora, you need to stay in the car," he said.

"Where are they going?" I asked.

"They're just going to check something out."

"Well are they coming back?" The look on Mr. Weasley's face told me all I needed to know; whatever it was that they were "checking out" was going to cause them to go back to work.

I nodded my head at him and slid all the way back into the car. Mr. Weasley gave me a sympathetic smile before moving away from the door and was soon replaced by Fred and George who slid in next to me.

I spent the ride to King's Cross in silence just trying to figure out what was going on. Fred and George seemed to notice that something was bothering me and probably decided to wait until we were on the train to ask me what was going on.

After catching up with Lee, we found an empty compartment, and were soon joined by Katie, Angelina, and Alicia.

"So are you going to tell us what's bothering you now?" Fred asked. "Or are you just not going to speak to us at all today?"

"How much do you know about that man that escaped from Azkaban?" I asked.

"You mean Sirius Black?" Alicia asked. "Why would you want to know about him?"

"My parents are Aurors at the Ministry," I replied. "And they're out looking for him."

"Well, all I know is what was reported in the Prophet," she said.

"What did he do?" I asked.

"You don't know?" Lee asked surprised. I shook my head to see his mouth drop open before he composed himself and explained. "He killed thirteen people twelve years ago with one curse."

"Why'd he do it?"

"'Dunno," he answered. "But the Prophet was speculating that he was a huge follower of You-Know-Who." I instantly became even more worried about what has happened. "Haven't you been reading the Prophet lately?"

"No," I answered. "My parents wouldn't even let me see the front page. Not like I read it anyway."

"You'd think that since your parents are Aurors, they'd tell you this stuff," Katie said.

"They told me last night," I said. "They said they didn't want me to worry." Katie roller her eyes at that.

All of a sudden there was a knock on the compartment door. And who was it you might ask? None other than the one person that would ruin the rest of my day.

* * *

**So, yes I did end the chapter on a cliffhanger, BUT it was getting incredibly long and I needed a place to end it, so why not there? (*hides in corner*) Please leave me a review letting me know what you think. And I really am hoping to have somewhat regular updates now, so I apologize in advance for this story not being updated for another 2 weeks. I have decided to update this story along with my new story every other week so as to give myself time to write the chapter, and also my beta time to edit it.**

**As always you can check how my stories are progressing on my livejournal (link on my profile) as well as asking me any questions you may have regarding this story or any of my others on my tumblr (link also on my profile). Also i have joined AO3 so feel free to read the stories over there as well and the link is on my profile for that too.**

**Thanks for sticking by me...I know it's been rough so far.**


	7. AN

**Okay so in advance I apologize for this because I know that you all are going to be extremely disappointed in me. Obviously this is not a new chapter, but something I dread along with all of you, I'm sure. So instead of making this extremely long, I'll just get to the point.**

**I'm afraid that I will not be able to update this week. Since I have finals on Monday, and a lot of last minute work that had been given, I haven't had time to write much this week. This means that my update schedule will be thrown off a bit.**

**So here's the plan, there will be no update this week, so next week I will start where I left off.**

**If you have any questions regarding my stories, feel free to pm me or go to my tumblr and message me on there (link is on my profile). For updates on all of my stories' progress you can check out my livejournal (link also on my profile).**

**Please DO NOT review this AN as it will be taken down once the new chapter is up. If you haven't yet, feel free to go back and review the other chapters as your reviews keep me writing.**

******Again, I apologize so much for not sticking to my original plan of regular updates, but sometimes things just happen.**

**~sydni**


	8. Another AN (SO SORRY FOR THIS!)

**Okay so please don't be mad at me! I know, I'm so sorry for posting another author's note but, I promise a new chapter will be coming very soon. I've just been so busy with school, and then work, and then school again that I haven't really had time to sit down and write. On top of that, I've been very stressed out from trying to do too many things at once.**

**Anyway, since all of that is semi-fixed, I've gotten back to writing again and will be posting a chapter soon. I can't promise that all of my stories will be updated at the same time, but I can guarantee that I am writing. So that's that!**

**As always thanks so much for being so patient with me, I really appreciate it. Also, for updates on how my stories are progressing please PLEASE check my live journal because the minute I write more I update it so it's very accurate. Also, if you have any questions feel free to pm me or message me on Tumblr, all the links are on my profile.**

**Again I'm so sorry, but good things are coming your way!**

**Sydni**


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